The Knowhere Guide

Inside Information in Barkingside, Greater London*

Barkingside, Greater London Hookup Spots and Stuff Only Locals Know

Hook-up Spots (That hallowed spot where everyone hangs around with their mates dreaming of the time when they can get into the pubs or clubs - a bench, a corner: you name it.)

• The play area in the park. Climbing over the railings at midnight - excellent!
• The courthouse has some good flat banks , We mainly ride in loughton and south woodford......
• Mc donalds is a great place to meet up with people just so long as your not causing trouble.The park is another good place with a friendly atmosphere.
• Gants Hill is the link town between Barkingside and Ilford Many people who lived inBarkingside went to Gearies School which g cally was in Gants Hill I remember most of the places from 1940 to 1965 when I moved
• The Open Door Centre on Fencepiece Road near Fulwell Cross - drop in centre run by volunteers for 12-24 age range. Mainly a place to hang out, but advice and orgainsed activities as well, some trips to activity centres organised. Coffee, Internet access etc 3-9pm weekdays except Thursdays (why not Thursdays???)
• People tend to hang around outside Macdonalds, Barkingside Park, or, for some reason, The benches to the left of the entrance to TESCO.
• in the train station while waiting for my next victim. Their is a nice cave in the track and I play with the rats
• Geezer's Barbershop - more like a social club than a barbers although you can still get a wicked cut there. Don't be put off by the ques most of those who appear to be waiting are using the place to avoid the misses who is happily spending their money down the high street.
• I went to Fairlop now tragically the solomon school. We met on the benches outside the library. We use to smooch in Claybury forest and walk hand in hand on Mossford fields. Now sadly built on. We walked the dogs there and used to cut through to the forest. There was a swamp where you could get frog spawn where we all used to meet up and try to get across the water without getting a bootfull. Mossford fields were always flooded especially near Mossford lane it makes me wonder how those houses were thrown up so quickly! What a shame the field was lost! My parents still live there and my dad has lived in the same house in Fencepiece Road for 70 years!
• I spent my early childhood in Barkingside in the 40s and early 50s. I used to live in Aintree Crescent and haven't been back there for years. I recollect playing in the open spaces surrounding the roundabout such as Bottles's (a large bomb crater filled with water, The Dell off Forest Lane? and the Prairie which used to stretch right up to Hainault. The 691 trolley bus used to park next to the roundabout. The cinema called the State reopened in the late forties where I used to go to the Saturday Morning Pictures (for sixpence). Steam trains used to operate at Fairlop station where the Central Line is now. As kids my brother and I used to play on the tank traps near the station until he fell off one day and gashed his head. He was treated by a German prisoner of war located in the camp near Fairlop aerodrome. I have very fond memories of Barkingside but I imagine it's changed quite a bit.
• Barkingside Rec. after school came home when hungry/dark
• The only real spot in Barkingside to hang about now in MacDonalds
• In the early 80's when we were the kids hanging about on the street, we all used to meet up at the swimming pool, sometimes there were 40/50 kids there. Most of us went to Fairlop High school, which has now become King Soloman. Fairlop School had a good youth club then, Hainault High was the arch enemy then.
• The well known and hallowed spot of Barkingside has to be the one and only McDonalds, the local hard lads spend many an hour waiting outside here.

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

In most cases, the information in each section has been submitted by more than one contributor (the credits at the bottom of the page list some, but not all, of the contributors) and some of it dates back to the 1970s.

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Credits

Last updated: 2006-10-20